Like Magic
by DraconisHyperion
Summary: A story response to the challenge "this is a CHALLENGE!", written by Animelover5008. /Challenge summary: Sheldon and Harry Potter are married. One day, the gang see/find the ring and question Sheldon. Sheldon tells them he is married and they don't believe him until the meet his husband./ Heavily AU (it is a crossover). No beta. Rated M to be safe. R&R Please!
1. The Cooper Addition Conundrum

**Author's Note:** Well it's been ages since I accepted "this is a CHALLENGE!" ( /10759407/1/this-is-a-CHALLENGE ) but I finally got around to writing! Characters are likely going to be OOC, and this story is (obviously) an AU. Past events in the HP and TBBT universes are heavily edited and will (probably) be explained in detail in later chapters (via flashbacks or other).

 **I DO NOT HAVE A BETA READER.** All mistakes are my own; feel free to point them out if you see any.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or The Big Bang Theory, they belong to their respective creators/owners, including Warner Bros., J.K. Rowling, CBS, and so on. This story is made only for fun, and I make no profit from it.

Enjoy!  


* * *

Leonard, Howard, and Raj could hardly believe their eyes as they stared at the contents of the formerly-locked antique box before them. A box that Leonard had found in Sheldon's room, despite it clearly not being Sheldon's style in any way, shape, or form. And just there, sitting on top of other small trinkets, was an incredibly expensive-looking ring; one that was very obviously a wedding band.

The three of them had been sitting there for almost five minutes before Leonard finally found the words to break the silence.

"I...I can't believe it," Leonard stuttered out, prompting Howard to shake his head.

"It's not possible. There is no way Sheldon is….is _married,_ " Howard added, scoffing lightly as he turned to look at the two men beside him. "Especially not before any of us."

"Maybe it's just an heirloom?" Raj suggested hopefully, sighing when both Leonard and Howard just shook their heads. "You're right. It's too-"

Whatever Raj had been about to say was cut off suddenly by the seemingly loud _snick_ of the front door closing, immediately followed by Sheldon's annoyed yet surprised words.

"Why did you take that box from my room? And why has it been _opened_?" He demanded incredulously, setting his bag down as he stepped further into the apartment's living room area.

Leonard, being the one to live with Sheldon and not particularly wanting to deal with what he called "The Sheldon Pout" for the next week, quickly tried to come up with some explanation to save face, but was cut off almost as quick by Howard.

"Sheldon, are you married? _Please_ tell us this is not your wedding ring and that you aren't," Howard said, pointing at the aforementioned ring in the trinket box.

"How does my being married have anything to do with why you stole something from my room and then broke into it?" Sheldon questioned, striding over to pick up the box. He glanced down at the items almost fondly before closing the lid and holding it close to his body as he looked back up to glare at the three men sitting at the sofa. "Not only is that rude, but an incredible invasion of privacy."

There was a few seconds of shocked silence, and then:

" _What_?"

"It's _true_?"

"How long have you been married?"

"Why haven't we met your wife?"

"How did you even convince a woman to marry _you_?"

The questions came in rapid succession, making Sheldon purse his lips slightly before releasing a quiet sigh as he realized this subject was not going to be dropped for quite some time.

"Yes, I am married, and have been so for nearly fifteen years. None of you have met my spouse because they work for the British government in the United Kingdom. And as for the occurrence of our marriage, the concept was originally proposed to me by my spouse, who, of course, had been my romantic partner at the time."

There was about ten seconds of quiet as Howard, Raj, and Leonard all gave each other looks before Leonard crossed his arms with a defiant look on his face. "I don't believe you."

"I beg your pardon?" Sheldon eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. "Why would you not believe a fact?"

"Because the only proof we have is your word and a ring that might not even be yours," Leonard countered, with Raj and Howard nodding in agreement.

Sheldon rolled his eyes with a huff and opened the antique box in his arms to pull out an old polaroid photo. In the photo was a much younger Sheldon looking slightly uncomfortable yet simultaneously pleased as he received a surprise kiss on the cheek from a lightly tanned, gentle-faced young adult with chin-length black hair and circle-lens eyeglasses. It was difficult to tell the gender of the other person, but even with their eyes closed it was easy to tell that they were beautiful.

"I suppose if you need proof, here's a photo of us four months before we married," Sheldon informed the three as he handed over the picture to Raj, who inspected the image closely before passing it along. Instead of being satisfied, Leonard merely shook his head, though it was Howard who spoke next.

"I still don't believe it. I refuse to believe that you could actually be married unless we see your wife in person."

"Exactly. How do we know you didn't just pay some prostitute to be your girlfriend?" Raj added on.

"Well, you're all just going to have to believe me with the evidence I've already given," Sheldon said petulantly. "It's not as if my spouse can just leave their work and fly to a different country just so-"

Sheldon's frustrated explanation was stopped short by a buzz in his pocket, following by the ringing of his cell phone. Fishing the phone from his pocket, Sheldon barely glanced at the caller ID before answering.

"This is Doctor Sheldon Cooper. May I inquire as to the purpose of this call?"

 _ **"..."**_

"While you are correct in assuming that more than a two day's notice would have been preferred, I understand you were attempting to surprise me. The sentiment is appreciated," Sheldon said calmly in response to whatever had just been said to him, though there was an unreadable expression in his eyes. "I'll be at the airport at three in the afternoon on Friday, then."

 _ **"..."**_

Sheldon smiled briefly at the farewell on the other end of the line before hanging up the phone and returning it to his pocket.

"Leonard, as per the Roommate Agreement, this is your minimum twelve-hour notice regarding guests in the apartment, as well as the minimum twenty four-hour notice regarding guests in the apartment staying more than one night," Sheldon informed his roommate. He paused a moment to pick up his messenger bag before turning back to the three men.

"Your demands for further proof are no longer required, as my spouse had decided to surprise me with a week-long visit for our fifteenth anniversary." With that said, Sheldon began making his way to go room, but he barely made it to the hall before Leonard called after him.

"Sheldon, hold on," Leonard began, stepping around the coffee table. "You can't just tell us you're married and that your wife is gonna visit without telling us more about them."

"Well, why not? You're going to be meeting them in two days anyway, why should I waste the energy when you can ask my marital partner yourselves," Sheldon countered. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things in my room to rearrange in preparation for our house guest. I'll be out in time for Halo at eight."

* * *

 **0o0o0o0**

 **I hope that's an alright ending to the chapter. I know it cuts off suddenly, but I didn't feel like there was anything else to say. R &R please!**


	2. The Spousal Paradigm Shift

**Author's Note:** WOW I did not think this story would end up so popular. My sincerest thanks and gratitude to every fav, follow, and review I've gotten over the last few weeks. I didn't really expect them but it makes my happy every time I get an alert for this story (and all my stories, really). Also, I meant to have this posted more than a month ago. Sorry, kiddies! But when I originally was going to post this chapter, I changed my mind after reading through it because it suddenly seemed too short to me and ended in a weird place. And then it took me ages to adjust what was wrong and write more. Additionally, Harry's nickname, Rhys, is **NOT** pronounced in the common way "Reece", but rather "riss" (as in HISS like a snake) because of the middle of his full first name, Har **RIS** on. Lastly, I am fully aware that Howard's flirting is usually more aggressive/dirty. There will be no need to point it out to me thank you.

 **I DO NOT HAVE A BETA READER.** All mistakes are my own; don't be afraid to point them out if you see any.

Enjoy!

* * *

Harry bit his lip worriedly as he stared at the plate that labeled the door before him as the office of "Dr. S. Cooper". After following a set of hesitantly-given directions to get here, Harry had planned to surprise his husband by showing up at his office a whole day sooner than expected. But now that he was here, and Sheldon was not, he was not sure what he should do next, as he was a bit lost and had no idea where his spouse could be.

"Excuse me." Harry turned at the sound of a voice and a gentle tap on his shoulder.

"Yes?" Harry asked, bright green eyes quickly glancing over the sim man before him. This man was a few inches taller than Harry, had his brown hair styled in a bowl-cut, and was wearing a red flannel over a black turtleneck paired with black skinny jeans and a pair of black converse shoes.

"Do you mind if I borrow a kiss if I promise to give it back?" the man asked with a waggle of his eyebrows, prompting Harry's immediate reply of,

"Sorry, I don't loan things to strangers."

"Howard Wolowitz. And you are?"

"Call me Rhys, please."

"You know, Rhys, I don't have a library card, but can I check you out anyway?" Howard said rather boldly, hands on his hips and an almost smug grin on his face as he looked Harry up and down.

Harry couldn't stop himself as the corners of his mouth twitched upward into a brief smile, as he knew that the man before him likely thought him to be a woman. Which was entirely fair, considering his moderately petite figure, long black hair plaited to the side, and his rather pale, androgynous face.

"Well, Mister Wolowitz," Harry began slowly, seemingly to the delight of the other man. He could only assume women didn't tolerate Howard's slightly aggressive flirting. Harry didn't really see the harm in it, especially since it was just amusing banter between strangers.

"I suppose I couldn't stop you, but there is a fine if you check me out for too long," Harry quipped, crossing his arms in the hopes that it would convey disinterest in taking anything further than words. Instead of being discouraged by Harry's reply, however, Howard seemed surprised yet excited.

"I don't know you, but I think I love you already," Howard said with hand over his heart.

"I'd tell you to go see a psychologist for delusions and co-dependent behaviors, but I'm actually a tad busy right now...It's my first day here and I'm a bit lost," Harry explained, pointing briefly to Sheldon's office door. "I don't suppose you know where Doctor Cooper might be?"

There was a few quiet seconds of Harry waiting while Howard just stared, before shaking himself from a 'trance'. "Sorry, I was just getting lost in your eyes. What was your question?"

"Do you know where I could find Doctor Cooper? It's important I speak with him," Harry reiterated, this time pointing to the office door with his left hand. He did so in a way that was not glaringly obvious, but clear enough that he was not actually available. Howard frowned slightly at the brief flash of silver, but did his best to not let it get him down as he gestured down the hall to the right.

"Right this way to the cafeteria, m'lady," he said, and they began to walk together. "He, and by extension myself and our other friends, always takes lunch at twelve-fifteen. I'm just running late."

"Oh, you're a friend of Doctor Cooper's? How long have you two known each other?" Harry questioned, curious to know about one of Sheldon's friends as a stranger, and not Sheldon's husband.

"I've known him for about six years now, but I don't know if I'd really call him a friend," Howard answered. "I know he certainly wouldn't. He'd probably say we're more like 'close colleagues'."

Howard shrugged, as if that fact didn't bother him, but it made Harry's eyebrows furrow in thought.

"I'm sure he does think of you as a friend. He's likely just uncomfortable with saying the word aloud."

Howard seemed to think about it for a second before opening his mouth to reply, but whatever words he had thought to say in response were lost as they reached the cafeteria and Harry dashed off with an excited cry of, " _Sheldon_!"

What happened next shocked Howard so much that, not only did his eyes widen and his mouth fall open, he actually stumbled a step or two.

 **hpsc. hpsc.**

"Honestly, I simply cannot comprehend why this is such a big deal to you," Sheldon reiterated for the eighth time since last night. Needless to say, Halo Night had been an unpleasant experience that had been rife with, generally inane, questions concerning his spouse.

"Because we've been friends for _years_ , and you never even hinted at the fact that you were _married_ ," Leonard said in his own huffy way as he sat down at a table with his lunch.

"Well, that's hardly seems fair," Sheldon began as he set down his own tray and pulled out his chair.

A sudden shout of his name made him pause and look sharply in the direction of the somewhat familiar voice. His suspicion was confirmed at the sight on inky black hair, but he barely had the time to feel startled or even happy before his husband leapt up and put his arms around Sheldon's neck.

Sheldon, thankfully, was sturdier than his thin, nerdy appearance led others to believe, and ended up taking only a half-step back as Harry collided with him. Just as Harry's arms went around his neck, Sheldon's own curled securely around his spouse's waist.

For the theoretical physicist, everything else around him seemed to disappear when Harry's lips were on his a mere moment later and his legs were around the taller man's waist so he wasn't just dangling off him. Sheldon responded to the lip-lock with enthusiasm, the corners of his mouth twitching into a small smile and his arms tightening around Harry to keep him in place a little longer - not that Harry was complaining.

Outside of the married couple's little bubble, the rest of the cafeteria-goers, largely comprised of Sheldon's coworkers, were staring in slack-jawed silence. Some even had forks or spoons halfway to their mouths; all of them unable to comprehend the sight of _the_ Doctor Sheldon Cooper being kissed by someone. No, not just being kissed, but _kissing_ that someone back _passionately_.

The kiss seemed to last forever, but in reality it lasted perhaps eight seconds before the men separated their faces. Harry's expression was one of elation while Sheldon seemed pleased and vaguely smug.

"I missed you, Shelly," Harry said with a wide grin, and Sheldon's eyebrow quirked upward in response.

"So I gathered, Rhys. But as it is lunchtime, perhaps we could sit down?" the theoretical physicist asked, as if what had just happened was the most normal thing in the world for him, before lightly patting Harry's outer thigh.

Without a word, Harry let himself drop back to the floor in a standing position before slinking around Sheldon to grab a spare chair from an empty table to sit next to Sheldon - purposefully leaving the original fourth chair at the table open for Howard Wolowitz. Harry sat down a few seconds after Sheldon, just as said engineer approached the table with a slightly dazed expression.

Harry took a quick look at the four men sitting with him and smiled slightly. He'd heard a bit about Sheldon's friends over the years from the few letters they'd sent each other, but only ever in passing.

"Introduce me to your friends, love?"

Sheldon, who only wanted to eat his already-behind-schedule lunch, put his fork down with a small huff and a roll of his eyes.

"Rhys, may I introduce my roommate, Doctor Leonard Hofstadter, and our close colleagues, Doctor Rajesh Koothrappali, and Mister Howard Wolowitz," Sheldon told Harry quickly, pointing to each man as he said their names. "Raj, Howard, Leonard, this is my husband, Doctor Harrison Cooper-Black."

* * *

 **END NOTE** : As I said in the Author's Note before the chapter, Harry's nickname, Rhys, is **NOT** pronounced in the common way "Reece", but rather "riss" (as in HISS like a snake) because of the middle of his full first name, Har **RIS** on.


	3. The Revelation Investigation

**Author's Note:** Well, here it is. Chapter 3. Ages later than I had originally planned, but for whatever reason this chapter was a struggle to write. I tried my best to wrangle this chapter into submission but I still ended up almost 100 words short of my personal 1000-or-more words per chapter rule. In any case, my thanks to all favorites, follows, and reviews. _*Additional notes at the end of the chapter.*_

 **I DO NOT HAVE A BETA READER.** All mistakes are my own, feel free to point out any you find.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **The Revelation Investigation**

Everything was still for two, maybe three, heartbeats - during which time, Harry imagined he could hear Howard's, Leonard's, and Raj's brains break - before Sheldon's friends reacted fully.

Howard's head met the lunch table with a 'thunk' and he let out a low, defeated groan that vaguely sounded like: _"How…?"_

Raj let out a strange, strangled squeak, gesturing from Harry, to Sheldon, and back to Harry, a great number of questions in his eyes that he was too flabbergasted to actually ask.

"H-husband?" Leonard stuttered out, eyebrows furrowing together as he glanced at Harry briefly before staring back at Sheldon. "You're _gay_?"

Before Sheldon could even open his mouth to answer, Harry let out a small snort.

"There's no need to say it like it's something dirty, Doctor Hofstadter," Harry said mildly, absently folding his arms and resting them on the table. "Sheldon's not gay, though I am. He's pansexual."

"...What? Seriously?" Howard questioned with raised eyebrows, lifting his head and looking at Sheldon as if seeing him in a whole new way. Sheldon let out a small hum of agreement as he continued eating, not really interested in joining the conversation yet managing to realise a verbal response was necessary.

Leonard made a strange face and began to open his mouth to speak, but Raj beat him to it. "So, Harrison, Sheldon said you work for the British Government, but what exactly do you do?"

"Well, for the last seven years I've worked as a scientist for a very small branch of the government. For two years before that, I was a criminal psychologist. And please, call me Rhys."

"What kind of scientist?" Leonard asked, his body language faintly aggressive, as if he didn't believe Harry's words.

"Officially, I only have doctorates in criminal psychology and ornithology, but I like to dabble, and I've acquired a small handful of Masters' degrees over the years," Harry answered pleasantly, in a way that almost seemed rehearsed, and Leonard narrowed his eyes.

"But what do you _do_?" Leonard insisted.

"I'm sorry but that's classified," Harry said in that same pleasant tone. "Sheldon doesn't even know exactly what I do, and we're married."

Well, that was only half true, Sheldon knew he was an Unspeakable and what that meant (even some details of a few of his less... _sensitive_...assignments), but the other three didn't need to know about that.

Leonard turned his attention to Sheldon, a faintly determined look on his face. "Doesn't that bother you, Sheldon?"

"Why should it bother me that my spouse does his job correctly by following his government's laws?" Sheldon inquired, genuinely confused.

"Well, don't you _hate_ secrets?" Leonard elaborated.

"Yeah, aren't people in relationships supposed to be totally honest with each other?" Raj added, prompting Howard to roll his eyes.

"Says the man who dated a woman and let her think that you couldn't speak because you gave up talking for Lent."

"What about that time you pretended to not like comics to get with that poetry girl?" Rajesh pointed out. "And that time when…"

Howard and Raj quickly devolved into their own conversation, seeming to forget about the other three at the table. Sheldon, however, gave Leonard an exasperated look.

"That is only minimally correct, Leonard. I do not _'hate secrets'_ as you said; I dislike keeping secrets without being properly forewarned, as then the responsibility of potentially needing to lie is forced upon me. However, there is a vast difference between a secret amongst common people and laws directly from the government ordering one's silence concerning sensitive government subjects."

Leonard scrunched his nose in annoyance at the long-winded answer and declined to respond beyond a huffy, mumbled, _"Whatever."_ , instead deciding to eat the rest of his lunch in quiet irritation.

"Well said, Sheldon," Harry praised, a small, lopsided grin on his face. "I couldn't have done so better myself."

"I know," was Sheldon's immediate reply, pulling a short laugh from Harry.

"Well, now that I've successfully surprised you, could I borrow the key to your flat? My luggage has almost certainly been delivered by now and I shouldn't leave it too long.."

"Why would you schedule your belongings to arrive before you did, Rhys?" Confusion was plain on Sheldon's face as he paused in his eating to give Harry his full attention.

"Originally it was meant to arrive shortly after me, but I did not expect to get lost on my way to your office. An hour ago." Harry explained, a small frown on his face. "I suspect the person I asked for directions has never actually been to your office, Shelly."

"Then perhaps in the future you should schedule in such possibilities," Sheldon commented, before adding on, "My key to mine and Leonard's apartment is in the front left pocket of my bag, which is resting to the right of my desk."

Clearly not offended by his husband's callous suggestion, Harry smiled softly as he stood and leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss to the corner of Sheldon's mouth. The theoretical physicist, however, frowned slightly at the brevity of the farewell, and slid a hand around to the back of Harry's neck, gently pulling him back down for a proper kiss.

"See you in a bit, love," Harry said as he straightened up, a happy twinkle in his eye as he walked off amid a scattering confused stares and gossiping whispers spreading throughout the crowd of other cafeteria-goers.

* * *

 **Author's Additional Notes:** I know I still have three other stories that I've promised to post (The Better Choice; Green And Silver Souls; The Nightmare Child, Part One), and those will be posted very soon, but I've made another poll for the next four stories you all think I should focus on. Unlike the last poll, however, I will NOT be accepting votes left in reviews or PMs. Only votes made in the poll (found on my profile) will count. This poll will close on May 31st, and the winners will be announced on my profile page June 1st.

On an unrelated note, if any of you are interested, I update my profile at least once weekly with the latest news concerning my fanfictions and their progression. I also have a fanfiction-centric twitter where I post updates and sneak-peaks, answer questions, and other little extras for my stories at DH_Fanfictions.


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